Page 77 of Bones

She and I got up and started trying to find the source of the smell, and it wasn’t long before the others joined in. Seconds later, we heard a commotion outside and went over to the window to check things out. That’s when we spotted a small fire in the back corner of the garage. “Holy shit.”

Susana raced over to the back door and pushed it open as she shouted, “Fire!”

We all followed after her, and that’s when we noticed that the garage wasn’t the only thing on fire. Clutch’s SUV and the front gate were also going up in flames. Two Bit and Savage each had fire extinguishers and were doing their best to tend to the fire at the front gate, while Hayes and Smokey were working on the one at the garage.

At first, it looked like no one was doing anything about Clutch’s SUV, but then I spotted Rooster with the water hose. He tugged it over to the front of the truck and started spraying it with water, but instead of putting out the fire, it seemed to stoke the fire. The smoke was really starting to billow when Cotton and several of the brothers came barreling out of the clubhouse.

I had no idea how the fires got started, but it was clear they were intentional. It was mayhem, and it was absolutely terrifying.

The clubhouse was under attack.

I’d seen the guys wounded. I knew they’d been in fights before.

But never at the clubhouse.

Eager to put them out, the brothers scattered and started doing whatever they could to help. Darby was about to go give them a hand when Cotton spotted us and ordered, “Girls! Get back inside. Now!”

“But, Dad...”

“Get your ass inside, Darby!” Cotton roared. “And find your mom!”

That’s all it took for all of us to go rushing back towards the back door. I was about to follow Mia back inside when I heard an odd buzzing sound above my head. I stopped, and when I looked up, I spotted a large, white drone suspended in the air above the clubhouse. I was trying to get a better look at it when Mia reached back and took hold of my arm, pulling me inside. “You better move it, or Cotton’s gonna have your ass.”

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

I didn’t have a good feeling as I followed her back inside.

Something big was going down, and I feared it might be the end of us all.

CHAPTER20

Bones

The club had gone to great lengths to ensure our families' safety. We had nine-foot fences topped with barbed wire and multiple guards at the gate who were constantly watching and waiting for any potential attacks.

To discover that we’d been breached was alarming.

It was even more alarming to discover how we were breached. Bruton had used drones to drop incendiary devices throughout our compound. The devices were filled with thermite—a powder that creates a brief burst of heat and high temperature, but the flame is short-lived.

It was a smart move.

The drop was quick and effective, and it made a hell of an impression. It had us all scrambling. We had no idea what was coming next, and that had us all on edge. We were doing what we could to put out the fires when Cotton called Two Bit and Diesel over. “Go in and gather the others in the family room. Have them wait there until we figure out what the hell is going on.”

“You got it.”

They both headed inside, and I was about to go over and help Stitch and Rooster with Clutch’s SUV when I heard my phone chime with a message. My entire body tensed as I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone. I looked down at the screen, and my blood ran cold when I read:

Unknown Caller:

Let him go.

Or the next drop will be on the clubhouse, andI will burn it to the ground.

I immediately turned to Cotton and showed him the message. Needless to say, he wasn’t pleased. “Fuck this guy.”

Noting his anger, Maverick and Guardrail came over to see what was up. Cotton held up my phone, and as soon as he saw it, Maverick scoffed, “I say let him go. Hell, he’s no good to us anyway.”

“He’s right,” Guardrail agreed. “The kid doesn’t know a damn thing. No sense in keeping him here.”

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